Community College Month: Celebrating a Sector Vital to CAEL Year-Round

CAEL’s mission has always meant having one foot in the classroom and one in the workplace. That’s what it takes to create extended pathways that meet adult learners wherever they are in the lifelong journeys that link these spaces.

It’s no surprise that CAEL and community colleges cross paths in countless ways in support of those journeys. Whether it’s preparing students for near-term impact in the workforce or to take the next step in a longer-term degree program, we share a commitment to ensuring that neither of these decisions comes at the expense of the other. As we close out the commemoration of Community College Month, CAEL is proud of the strong representation of community colleges among its institutional members. Below are a few recent highlights of our collaboration with this vital sector.

Scaling Systemwide Credit for Prior Learning Community of Practice

In partnership with RAND, CAEL is working with the community college systems of Alabama, Colorado, and North Carolina in support of credit for prior learning. The systems have joined CAEL’s evidence-based community of practice dedicated to enhancing CPL public policies. Nearly 100 institutions are represented, spanning an enrollment of approximately 900,000 students.

CAEL is providing technical assistance tailored to meet the needs each community college system has prioritized for addressing during the two-year initiative. The process will guide each participant in implementing or expanding public policies that address CPL challenges and opportunities, with insight ultimately informing a framework and rubric for scaling CPL policies in any state system.

The Scaling Systemwide Credit for Prior Learning Community of Practice kicked off in February at a meeting hosted at RAND headquarters. The community of practice is made possible by funding from ECMC Foundation and Strada Education Foundation.

Surveying for excellence: Adult Learner 360™ coming to 10 New York Community Colleges

CAEL is partnering with the State University of New York (SUNY) CAEL to make Adult Learner 360 available to 10 SUNY community colleges. Adult Learner 360 is CAEL’s integrated diagnostic tool and consulting solution used to identify areas for improved service to adult learners. Parallel student and institutional surveys yield results that compare institutional practices with adult learner experiences, helping institutions take informed steps in implementing plans to better support their adult learners.

The partnership with CAEL complements the SUNY Reconnect Program, SUNY noted. Through SUNY Reconnect, eligible adult learners in high-demand fields receive free community college tuition and other support.

"Doing more for adult learners is absolutely essential for us to more fully realize the tremendous opportunities of SUNY Reconnect,” said David Potash, president of SUNY Sullivan, a participating community college. “On behalf of SUNY Sullivan, we're thrilled to work with CAEL, a long-standing national leader in adult education. Thank you so very much, SUNY, and thank you, CAEL. We're very much looking forward to seeing more adult learners prosper and succeed in Sullivan County."

A college degree or a trade? CAEL, the Machinists Institute, and Renton Technical College partnership delivers both

CAEL, the Machinists Institute, and Renton Technical College (RTC) in Washington partnered to create a groundbreaking registered apprenticeship pathway. The pathway integrates trade-specific training with general education curricula, allowing apprentices to concurrently complete their machinist apprenticeship and an associate of applied science in multi-occupational trades, with no additional costs or “seat time” required. The program also provides apprentices access to wraparound services available at RTC, such as food pantries, libraries, and computer labs. The scalable and adaptable model can be replicated in other college systems.

"We were thrilled to have the opportunity to award an applied associate degree to machinist apprentices after they completed four years of training and classroom instruction,” said Dr. Sarah Wakefield, dean of general education and transfer at RTC. “CAEL's documentation was meticulously and clearly laid out, effectively crosswalking the learning outcomes from RTC's classes, so it was easy to see where all degree requirements were met."

Recently, an Apprenticeships For America study documented the pathway in its apprenticeship-embedded degree category, describing it as the most innovative model and one that “unlocks the full potential of work-based learning by formally recognizing and credentialing competencies developed through real-world experience.”